Other objects, desirable features and characteristics will become apparent from the subsequent summary and detailed description, and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and this background.
Nowadays, there exist many different manufacturing processes for manufacturing structural components of vehicles. Such manufacturing processes are in most cases subtractive. For example, subtractive processes are milling, cutting, machining, drilling, etc. These subtractive processes may rely on the principle that a certain part of material is removed from the component in order to change the contours or the shape of the component which may be assembled in a later step. It is also possible to remove material, for example on an uneven surface of a component, such that a high quality of the surface of the component can be achieved. However, subtractive processes may be limited in their application since material is removed from the component. In other words, the material can only be removed as long as sufficient material is left such that the component can still fulfill stability requirements. For example, dents or scratches on surfaces may be repaired by removing a distinct amount of material from the surface such that dents or scratches on the surface of the component disappear.
DE 10 2007 015 795 A1 describes a metal-cutting machining process for a semi-finished product having a predetermined shape and at least one machining surface. In order to protect the surface of the product during the process, a foil is affixed on the surface.
DE 10 2007 026 100 B4 describes a method providing a milling tool with a cutting depth limiter, where maximum cutting depth of the milling tool is limited by the limiter. Therein, a surface section is milled under guidance of the milling tool by the guiding contour. A machining device for machining a laminated composite material at a surface section is also provided.